More than 130,000 new trees are being planted this week in Douglas and Teller counties.

The seedlings are being planted on 970 acres of the Pike National Forest burned during the Hayman Fire six years ago.

The seedlings are 1-year-old ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir.

In a news release, Forest Service officials said the funding for this project was made possible by the National Arbor Day Foundation and American Forests. Each acre of tree planting costs about $600, including the cost of collecting seed, growing seedlings and monitoring.

The seedlings being planted this week came from cones collected in 2005. Officials said the seeds were extracted then grown at the Bessey nursery in Nebraska. The Bessey Nursery is a U.S. Forest Service nursery that serves the national forest system as well as other public agencies and Native American tribes.

The soil conditions in the Hayman burn are decomposed granite and dry out quickly from the porous conditions. Officials said that's why the planting needs to take place as soon as the snow melts to ensure moisture and seedling survival.

Seedlings planted from 2004 through 2007 have had a very good survival rate.